Toronto, Ontario: Financial District

Rambles in the Rustbelt is a series of audio explorations celebrating heritage architecture around the great lakes region. In this episode, Benjamin A. Vazquez leads us on a tour of Downtown Toronto, Ontario. Join us for this walk and explore the area.
Written and narrated by: Benjamin A. Vazquez
Edited by: Melissa Parrott
Music by: Jeremy Gallagher
Photo credits:
Vintage Toronto
Toronto Public Library
Blog TO
City of Toronto Archives
Wikimedia Commons
Historypin
Pinterest
Toronto Then and Now
Sources:
Toronto: No Mean City - Eric Arthur
Toronto Observed: Its Architecture, Patrons & History
William Dendy, William Kilbourn, Bruce Litteljohn
Lost Toronto - William Dendy
Toronto to 1918: An Illustrated History - J.M.S. Careless
Unbuilt Toronto:
A History of the City that Might Have Been
Mark Osbaldeston
Biographical Dictionary of Architects in Canada
Support us on Patreon: / ramblesintherustbelt

[@Test-vl1ib]

Nice description of what remains of Toronto’s financial district gems. Since the 1950s, much of it looks like Legoland as they demolished many gorgeous old structures in favour of parking lots and boring buildings. It still pisses me off when I think of what once stood proud and beautiful to be replaced by dullness. EG The Foresters Building, Globe and Mail Building at York St, TD branch and King and Yonge, both arcades (Yonge and King St) and many more. If only they had more foresight.

[@buckrogers7115]

Union station starting construction in 1914 and still isn’t done

[@willissan1]

Walking by these buildings daily they blend into the scenery. It is great to take pause to see them as you have displayed and to hear the wonderful back stories. I love historic architecture. Today's designs in comparison fall flat. The glory is gone, replaced by pointed, distorted or odd shapes jumbled together. Thank you for taking the time to do this.

[@ramblesintherustbelt]

Toronto is a beautiful city with so much incredible history. I only regret I'm not going to be able to work on the city's neighbourhoods over the next couple of years. When I move back to Ontario, however, it's very much top of the list.

[@MelissaParrott]

Thank you! I hope more people notice our gems while they stand. I'm happy to take the time to highlight them.

[@imannonymous7707]

I spent 5 years as a bike courrier riding mail around this area , I loved the work and the history I learned

[@leifharmsen]

Toronto's financial district is more a gold crown than a rust belt! Fabulous stories and photos. Thank you!

[@MelissaParrott]

Beauty! For sure! That's just the name of the video channel (we're based in SW Ontario)

[@leopoldpoppenberger8692]

new city Hall always a leaky roof

[@tdunph4250]

Great video. Old Toronto history fascinates me! 👍

[@suedu9609]

THAT....WAS....AWESOME! My Mom worked in one of the buildings on Yonge St in the late 40''s until the mid 50's. I did look it up on google but have forgotten the name for this moment. It is on a southwest corner of Yonge St.and my impression was of the Art Deco period. ( Art Deco is the only period that I can recognize). Now I want to go on a walking tour and step inside these buildings when the weather warms and Covid is under control. Thank you for an amazing tour.

[@selkirk4life]

Thank you for the content. High detail and lots of history. I used to do snow removal at a bunch of these properties it's awesome the learn the history of them. The old CIBC tower really intrigued me. The original banking hall is no longer used and is used for storage but it's one of the most ornate rooms I've ever been in.

[@AndrewMalcolmson]

13:12 - amazing photo showing a shanty in The Ward with the old city hall rising in the background. How many people know the Ward existed till the mid 60's?

[@OofusTwillip]

Most of the Ward was demolished in the 1950s, to build New City Hall & Nathan Phillips Square, which opened in the early 1960s. It was part of a big plan to modernize the area, and build a vast shopping mall and office towers. The plan included demolishing Old City Hall, but public outrage was so strong that the plans had to be changed, to save Old City Hall. There's a book called "The Ward", edited by John Lorinc. It contains stories of Ward life from people who lived there or whose ancestors lived there. I contributed "Elsie's Story", about the random murder of my 10-year-old great-aunt, who was in the wrong place at the worst possible time. It happened in 1927.

[@razmoe2000]

I worked on the bank of commerce building on king for about a year. Beautiful and the gargoyles on top of the building are huge.

[@bobbbxxx]

Well done!! And very well researched. I enjoyed this immensely!

[@dougiebee8504]

Extremely enjoyable to watch. Well done indeed.

[@miyojewoltsnasonth2159]

Benjamin, thank you from Toronto for creating this video. Very well done! One correction to make in the description, which states: "In this episode, Benjamin A. Vazquez leads us on a tour of Downtown Buffalo, New York." This is a tour of the *Toronto, Ontario: Financial District,* not *Downtown Buffalo.* Thanks again!

[@ramblesintherustbelt]

Many thanks. I shall correct it.

[@annaleeb2414]

Great video but it also would have been helpful to show the same structures in present day

[@codysherman9293]

If this spoke to the St Lawrence Market and University Ave Armouries, it would be perfect.

[@mikedrown2721]

The World's Fair in Chicago was in 1893 not 1897

[@toddboley6987]

Looks like this was an abandoned city first. And reoccupied. Muddy york? Horse and buggy? Old world architecture? But couldn’t build streets?

[@patrickpell6713]

Lieutenant is pronounced lef-tenant in the Queen’s/Canadian English.

[@Aces77777]

What really changed is the people

[@mtlicq]

The info is interesting and the photos are superb finds indeed, but the voice intonation (and the background 'muzak') is very agitating!

[@leopoldpoppenberger8692]

new city Hall always had a leaky roof

[@amy-joe5772]

Home alone 2was filmed at the Royal York

[@gordonbrooks9181]

With Hoses, buggy & rope ?

[@gklinger]

De-troy-it? Also, Toronto is the most populous city on the Great Lakes.

[@WanukeX]

3:09 - The More things change the more they stay the same I see.

[@davidmcadam8588]

Does anyone know a good source to learn about famous Toronto graphic designer Allan Fleming?

[@nmac3718]

The banks were in the hammer 1st why did the change occur

[@miyojewoltsnasonth2159]

@n What are you talking about here? "The hammer" as in Hamilton? Please explain.

[@bobbbxxx]

? There were bank branches in Hamilton, but the banking centre of Ontario was always in Toronto. What gave you that idea?

[@conveyor2]

"Rust belt" is an American term.

[@miyojewoltsnasonth2159]

@wp It's a video primarily made for an American audience, so there's nothing wrong with using an American term here. Chill out. Further, if this video brings more US tourism dollars to my city, I'm perfectly happy with the use of foreign terms to do so.

[@laki879]

everything is electrified Tesla creates a constant current of 1900 from where they get electricity

[@rodimusprime9599]

How can you say that these buildings were built in early 1900's when there are maps from 1500's showing toronto as a significant city? False history.

[@leopoldpoppenberger8692]

Toronto is a native Indian name meaning Meeting Place

[@michaelbrownlee9497]

It's KZbin, you can say anything.

[@debbraus6068]

Thanks Rodimus you’re right

[@michaelbrownlee9497]

@@debbraus6068 I worked on the ports land, where the old railway turn house is located. It's all built on landfill, 20 feet underneath I discovered clay beer bottles, colored glass jars. English, Some perfectly intact. Which makes sense, because front street, must of been shortened from water front. So the whole area south of front St is landfill.

[@debbraus6068]

Wow so interesting.